Pari-mutuel betting kiosk

ABSTRACT

A method and device are provided that allow a wagering consumer to place wagers on pari-mutuel events without being at the originating facility or at another licensed pari-mutuel betting facility. A betting kiosk is placed in a location open to the public with a high speed communication link to the betting kiosk. Instructions for setting up and maintaining an advance deposit wagering account are provided at the wagering consumer&#39;s kiosk. A wagering consumer deposits funds into the advance deposit wagering account and then places bets and has his account credited or debited depending on the success of the bets placed. The betting kiosk sends the wagering consumer&#39;s information securely to an advance deposit wagering company, and receives information from the advance wagering company regarding authorization to make a bet. The betting kiosk has video and audio display capability and receives video and audio feeds from facilities allowing wagering consumers to see and hear the pari-mutuel event upon which the bet was placed. A video and audio archive is also available to allow wagering consumers to review prior pari-mutuel events before placing their bets.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method and device for placing pari-mutuelbets on pari-mutuel wagering events at thoroughbred, harness, trotting,greyhound race tracks and other legal pari-mutuel wagering events frompublic locations without requiring a gaming license.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pari-mutuel wagering in the United States was, for many years, one ofthe very few forms of legal gambling. Such gambling was strictlyconfined to the locations where the event was being held. Pari-mutuelwagering is commonly used on events such as thoroughbred, harness,trotting, greyhound, and jai alai wagering wherein a pool is establishedfor a particular type of bet (i.e. win, place, show, exacta, trifecta,etc.) and then proceeds from the pool are divided among the winningwagering consumers. Pari-mutuel wagering is common and advantageous tofacility operators because, prior to paying out the proceeds to thewinners, the facility operator deducts a fixed percentage known as thetakeout. Typically, the takeout is approximately 15-27 percent of thepool depending on the type of bet (win, place, show, exacta, trifecta,etc.) and statutory restrictions. For wagering placed at the location ofthe pari-mutuel event, the facility operator would retain the takeout asrevenue, less required payments as required by contract and statute.

This business model was the constant for more than a century, beforewidely available simulcasting of pari-mutuel events became available. Atthat point, a wagering consumer at one facility could wager on an eventbeing held at another facility. This expanded even further to the pointwhere facilities which did not host any wagering events on premisescould obtain a license to take wagers on pari-mutuel events beingconducted at multiple facilities, in the same state, in the UnitedStates and internationally. Wagering consumers bet with a personemployed by or under contract to the licensed operator of the facility.This person is commonly known as a teller. The wagering consumer wouldindicate their wager to the teller, who accepts cash and then providesthe wagering consumer with a ticket providing a record of the wager. Ifthe wagering consumer had bought a winning ticket, the ticket could thenbe returned to that or another teller to receive cash proceedscalculated, as set forth above, according to the pari-mutuel wageringsystem.

Advances in technology in the 1980's and 1990's led to self-servicemachines wherein a teller was replaced by these self-service machinesthat sell and cash tickets. The machines provide cash vouchers forwinnings, which could in turn be converted into cash at a tellerlocation. Some self-service machines accept either cash for the placingof a wager, or a voucher.

Equipment provided at a licensed facility allowed wagering consumers toplace wagers there and have their bets placed into the facility'spari-mutuel pool. With the initial form of simulcast pari-mutuelwagering, a licensed simulcast operator had a direct communication linkto the facility where the event was being conducted so that the wagersgenerally became part of the facility's pari-mutuel pool and the payoutto the winners was the same as that paid out at the facility itself.

In the late 1990's, the reach of legal gambling on pari-mutuel events,specifically horse racing, was dramatically expanded when it becamepossible, and legal, for advance account wagering services to set upfunded accounts for wagering consumers and to accept bets over the phoneor Internet for pari-mutuel wagering events at any facility hosting apari-mutuel event. An account is set up and maintained by a licensedAdvance Deposit Wagering (ADW) Company and the wagering consumer isassigned a unique account identifying user name or account number andpassword or pin to access his ADW Company account. When the wageringconsumer makes a wager, and before the wager is placed with thefacility's main pool, confirmation that there are sufficient funds tocover the wager is received by the ADW Company, and the wageringconsumer can place bets on a pari-mutuel event at any originatingpari-mutuel facility, which by agreement permits the ADW Company toaccept wagers on its events. The wagering consumer can place his wageragainst his ADW account by using a hard line phone, cellular or mobilephone, web enabled phones, personal data assistant (PDA) or otherdevices as well as a computer (via the Internet). The amount of thewager is deducted from his account and, if the bet is successful, hisaccount is credited with the pari-mutuel odds payout. The ADW Companyhas reliable, fast communications links with the originating pari-mutuelevent facility so that wagers made through the ADW Company are made partof the originating facility's pari-mutuel pool. By contract, the ADWCompany receives a portion of the takeout for originating the wager.Thus, through the use of a telephone, internet or other communicationdevice and an ADW account, a wagering consumer can wager on a variety ofpari-mutuel events at a variety of originating pari-mutuel facilities,from a number of public and private locations. The use of an audio phoneis disadvantageous, however, in that the handicapping information (suchas, in a thoroughbred race, the horse's prior starts, bloodlines, andeven jockey) available to the wagering consumer is limited ornon-existent. The use of video phones, while known in the art, areprohibitively expensive and of generally low speed communications sothat the download of handicapping information, while existent, is notpractical. Clearly, a computer having a high speed Internet connectionis comparatively advantageous by providing a wagering consumer thecapability to download the facility's race card/schedule (which mayinclude some handicapping information). Thus, the wagering consumer isin a more knowledgeable position from a handicapping standpoint if hehas the facility's race card/schedule than if he is just choosing ahorse, or a number, upon which to wager from a telephone prompt. A highspeed video connection to a pari-mutuel event originating facility isclearly desirable over a purely audio communication link to thefacility. As set forth above, the wagering consumer's account iscredited or debited, depending on the success of the bet. Efficientcommunication between the ADW Company and the originating pari-mutuelevent facility make it possible for all wagers, whether placed remotelythrough the ADW Company or physically at the originating facility can beplaced into a single pari-mutuel pool at the originating facility. Thisis important from the standpoint that it eliminates confusion as to thepayout and because it increases the handle for the originating facility,which bears the cost of putting on the event. While there do existinstances in which more than one pool exists for a given event, it isgenerally better to avoid such a situation to avoid “pool shopping”.

While the explosion of cell phone use has made it possible to placewagers on pari-mutuel events from virtually anywhere through ADWaccounts the limitations of communicating over cell phones carrysignificant disadvantages. For example, the vast majority of cell phonesare not presently equipped with high speed video communications so thata wagering consumer cannot generally receive a video feed of the eventupon which he has wagered. In addition, using a telephone keypad toselect and enter account information, followed by facility selection,event selection, and wager selection (win, place, show, exacta,trifecta, etc., and amount of each wager) becomes a laborious and timeconsuming task. A computer having a high speed Internet connection and agraphic operating system allow a wagering consumer to bet using theirADW account by clicking on facility location, event selection, horse orparticipating player, and other information.

The advent of the personal computer and Internet, and the application topari-mutuel wagering and Advance Deposit Wagering accounts has solvedsome of those problems in that facilities offer simulcast video streamsof their event race cards, totalisator/odds boards, and even real timevideo of the events themselves. A wagering consumer can place wagersthrough an ADW account after reviewing a facility's betting card andtote board, and can then watch streaming video of the event race if hiscomputer has the necessary application software to display thevideo/audio and if the Internet connection is sufficiently high speed.

The present invention addresses the disadvantages of the prior art byproviding a betting kiosk at a fixed location with a high speedcommunication link. The kiosk is beneficial in that it brings a legalwagering event to consumers in a non-licensed facility. It allowsconsumers to easily make wagers in a facility without the involvement ofthe facility in the wager transaction.

The betting kiosk is user friendly, with instructions on how to open andmaintain an Advance Deposit Wagering account, and has dedicated keys toallow a user to easily and quickly select a facility (e.g. a particularrace track), an event (e.g. a specific race) and an entrant in thatevent (e.g. a horse) upon which to place a wager. The kind of wager andamount are then easily entered. The betting kiosk may be provided witheither a key pad or touch screen controls to accept simple user inputand a thermal printer to print a ticket/receipt of each wager.

Finally, once the bet is placed, the kiosk affords the wagering consumeran opportunity to watch the event upon which he has bet by virtue of adisplay of a video feed from the facility over a high speed streamingvideo communication link. The kiosk has high quality video resolutionprovided by state of the art video cards and monitors. An audio feed isalso provided to give the wagering consumer the facility's announcer'scall of the race, which is particularly advantageous if the videomonitor is small or if the video feed is bumpy or slow, because theaudio feed is not bumpy or slow.

By simply providing access to Advance Deposit Wagering accounts throughthe kiosk, the present invention is compliant with state and federal lawregarding pari-mutuel wagering , while also bringing the opportunity towager on pari-mutuel events to public locations that are not currentlylicensed to accept wagers. This is particularly advantageous for sportsbars, restaurants, and other public retail locations that can nowprovide an additional entertainment option to their customers and as atool to acquire and retain additional customers, who have or may have aninterest in pari-mutuel events and legal United States based wagering.Making pari-mutuel wagering more accessible and convenient in thismanner is also advantageous to the thoroughbred racing and breedingindustry by increasing participation in pari-mutuel wagering, therebyproviding improved outlets and greater distribution for their product.The high speed Internet connection allowing for real time display of thepari-mutuel event and the facility's event card provides a wageringconsumer more information regarding the event participants and a greaterknowledge base to make a wager, then watch the event, at any location,public or private, licensed or unlicensed. Without the kiosk of thepresent invention, a wagering consumer was forced to either “phone in” awager, and not have any meaningful data on the event or the opportunityto watch the event, or to carry around a personal computer and searchfor a high speed connection.

Objects of the Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for placinglegal wagers on pari-mutuel events from public or private locationswithout a wagering or gaming license.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method forplacing wagers on pari-mutuel events providing real time video and audiodisplay of facility conditions, odds and races bet upon.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a methodfor placing wagers on pari-mutuel events using advance deposit wageringaccounts and providing real time video and audio of display of eventsbet upon.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method forwagering on pari-mutuel events using secure, high speed communicationswith the originating pari-mutuel facility to provide streaming audio andvideo to remote betting kiosks.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device forbetting on pari-mutuel events comprising a betting kiosk having simpleaccess and instructions on how to set up and use advance depositwagering accounts.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a bettingkiosk having high speed communications provisions allowing real timedisplay of video and audio of facility conditions, odds and thepari-mutuel events themselves.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bettingkiosk having secure access to advance deposit wagering accounts allowingwagering consumers to place wagers on pari-mutuel events.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a fixed bettingkiosk in a public or private, unlicensed facility for receiving advancedeposit wagering account wagers and displaying video and audio outputfrom the originating pari-mutuel facility.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a bettingkiosk having provisions for accessing archived video of completedpari-mutuel events in which current competitors have competed to allowwagering customers to become more fully informed in making wagers onpari-mutuel events.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a betting kioskhaving a security interlock switch to automatically log off users whenthey walk away from the kiosk.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bettingkiosk having a user keyboard for placing wagers and a receipt generatorfor printing out confirmation receipts of the wagers.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a methodfor accepting wagers on pari-mutuel events at facilities not having agaming license.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method forconducting the business of wagering on pari-mutuel events by providing aconvenient and accessible opportunity in locations that that do not havea gaming license to set up advance deposit wagering accounts and to takewagers using ADW accounts on pari-mutuel events.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will beapparent from a review of the following specification and accompanyingdrawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method for allowing a wagering consumerto remotely place a pari-mutuel wager on a pari-mutuel event from alocation open to the public, even when the public location does not havea gaming license. The wagering consumer can also view video of thepari-mutuel event wagered upon at the unlicensed public location. Theinvention also provides a consumer an opportunity to watch pari-mutuelevents even if they have not wagered on the event. The steps of thebusiness method are to first, provide a betting kiosk having user inputcapacity and video and audio display capacity. This allows the user toaccess an existing advance deposit wagering account or to set up a newaccount, and it also allows a user to select and receive the video andaudio from any pari-mutuel event/facility in the world, regardless ofwhether the user has placed a bet on the event or on any event. The nextstep is to provide a high speed dedicated communication link from thebetting kiosk to an advance deposit wagering company to communicatewager information from the kiosk to the advance deposit wageringcompany. The business method also provides a secure authorization meansfor a user to access an advance deposit wagering account.

The next step in the method is the communicating of video and audiofeeds generated at a pari-mutuel wagering facility to the betting kiosk.The business method next provides simple instructions to a user at thekiosk on how to set up and access an advance deposit wagering account atthe betting kiosk. Finally the business method of the present inventioncontemplates the step of placing the betting kiosk in a lawfullycompliant location open to the public.

The most preferred embodiment of the business method of the presentinvention further comprises the step of providing a security interlockcutoff so that when a wagering consumer walks away from the bettingkiosk, the transactions in the wagering consumer's account areterminated automatically. In addition, the method of the presentinvention further comprises the step of communicating daily facilityschedule card information from a pari-mutuel facility to the bettingkiosk.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a betting kiosk foruse in any licensed or unlicensed facility wherein a user input deviceis provided to confirm advance deposit wagering account information. Thekiosk also has means for selecting the video, audio, data stream from adesired pari-mutuel facility, and means for displaying the video, audio,data stream from the desired facility.

The kiosk of the present invention has means for communicating betinformation to the desired pari-mutuel facility through the advancedeposit wagering company, such that a bet is placed into an appropriateparimutuel pool. The preferred embodiment of the betting kiosk furthercomprises a high speed communication link to an advance deposit wageringcompany, and a security pad positioned adjacent said betting kioskrequiring wagering consumer presence thereon in order to stay logged into the advance deposit wagering account.

A method for conducting the business of wagering on pari-mutuel eventsis also provided comprising the steps of placing a user friendly bettingkiosk for receiving wagers in a public place not licensed as a gaminglocation. Next, a communications network between the kiosk and thepari-mutuel facility's pari-mutuel pool is provided so that wagers atsaid betting kiosk are included in said pari-mutuel pool.

The business method of the present invention providing for the placementof a user friendly kiosk further comprises placing a betting kioskhaving a video display for providing simple, prompt driven instructionto wagering consumers on how to set up an advance deposit wageringaccount and how to place bets after the advance deposit wagering accountis set up.

The preferred embodiment of the business method further comprisesplacement of a user friendly betting kiosk. The method further comprisesthe step of placing a betting kiosk having a video display for providingvideo depiction of a pari-mutuel event regardless of whether or notthere has been a wager placed on the event.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the betting kiosk of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a multiple terminal video display bettingkiosk.

FIG. 3 is a communication schematic illustrating transfer of data to andfrom the kiosk, advance deposit wagering company and the originatingfacility.

FIGS. 4 is flow chart illustrating the flow of information to and fromthe betting kiosk of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A betting kiosk 10 is disclosed which may be located in any facility,regardless of whether it has a gaming license, which provides wageringconsumers with a means for placing wagers on any pari-mutuel event, suchas horse races, at any facility (the originating facility) anywhere inthe world. The betting kiosk 10 merely requires power and a high speedInternet communication link 12 to place wagers and receive informationfrom the originating facility as set forth in more detail herein. In thepreferred embodiment of the present invention, the betting kiosk 10 islocated in a public place accessible to the public to place wagers onpari-mutuel events such as horse races. By so locating the betting kiosk10, it provides a method for conducting the business of wagering onpari-mutuel events, such as thoroughbred, harness, trotting andgreyhound races plus games of jai alai, conveniently accessible to alarge segment of the population that would not otherwise be able orinclined to participate in placing wagers on legal pari-mutuel wageringevents such as the races and jai alai described above. Although thepreferred embodiment of the present invention contemplates its use withany pari-mutuel facility, it is most illustrative to describe itsoperation in terms of horse race betting, although the principles of thepresent invention may be extended to, and specifically contemplate, theuse in any form of pari-mutuel wagering, including without limitationhorse races, dog races and Jai Alai.

The betting kiosk 10 is accessible to those experienced in pari-mutuelwagering who have an advanced deposit wagering account already set up.For those wagering consumers, the betting kiosk 10 is designed to promptand accept account identification information to confirm the accountinformation and balance via communication with an advance depositwagering company. Upon confirmation of identity and account balanceinformation, the betting kiosk 10 then visually prompts the wageringconsumer to select a facility at which a wager is to be placed. When thefacility has been identified by the wagering consumer, the AdvanceDeposit Wagering Company procures data from the facility including,typically, audio and video feeds and a schedule card via a high speedcommunication link 13. The data is then communicated to the wageringconsumer at the kiosk 10 via a high speed communication link 15, thedata comprising with a screen depicting the schedule card at theselected facility and an audio and video feed from the facility. Inaddition, archived audio, video and text results of prior events may bestored, either by the Advance Deposit Wagering Company or by theselected facility, such archives being available to wagering consumersfor handicapping purposes.

The wagering consumer then selects the event upon which he wishes toplace a wager, and the wagering consumer then is presented with alisting of the participants in the field for that event. The wageringconsumer is then prompted to select a type and amount of wager. Thewagering consumer then selects the horse upon which a bet is to be madeand, if it is a single horse bet (win, place or show) clicks on aDISPLAY TICKET button. If the wagering consumer is placing a multi-raceor multi-horse wager (such as an exacta, trifecta, superfecta) or box orwheel bet, the wagering consumer is prompted to enter each leg of thebet. When all legs have been completed, the wagering consumer clicks ona DISPLAY TICKET button. The wagering consumer then confirms the typeand amount of wager, horses and race(s) selected and, when the wageringconsumer is sure the bet is correct, clicks on a SUBMIT BET button.

The betting kiosk 10 is also accessible to new users and provides aninitial SET UP account screen 17 for users that do not have an advancewagering account already set up. The betting kiosk 10 will prompt awagering consumer for identifying information (name, address, socialsecurity number, birthdate) via the SETUP screen 17 and will then promptthe new user to select a pin/password. The new users age and residencyis then confirmed via a reporting agency. Once it is confirmed that theuser is a resident of a state where it is legal to have an advancedeposit wagering account and that they are of a legal age in that state,the account is created and they are provided with a unique accountidentifying number. When the account is successfully set up, the bettingkiosk 10 will prompt the new user to make a deposit of funds into theaccount via their checking account or from a debit or credit card. Theuse of advance deposit wagering accounts as a means for placing wagerson pari-mutuel events, such as horse races and Jai-Alai, is well known.Prior to the present invention, the use of advance deposit wageringaccounts has been limited to wagering consumers who either call in fromtelephone, whether land-line, cellular, or PDA or who use a computerwith Internet connectivity to access their ADW account to place wagers.The greatest disadvantage of telephone use is that, while the use of thecell phone is convenient, and makes a ADW account very accessible fromeffectively anywhere, the transaction in placing a wager using a cellphone or hard line phone or in checking on results are done using thetelephone keypad or responding to audio prompts or with a live operator,all of which are limited in their ability to quickly and easily transferthe depth and volume of information in an efficient manner. A wageringconsumer using a cell phone to access an ADW account cannot generallyget the quality video feed and, even if the cell phone does have a highspeed connection and the necessary application software to displayvideo, the size of the phone's LCD display is generally too small todiscern the horses or progress in a large field of horses.

The use of a computer having a high speed connection to placepari-mutuel wagers, on the other hand, solves some of the cell phoneproblems in that many personal computers have the necessary software andcan have a high speed connection to allow meaningful video display fromthe pari-mutuel facility. The size of the computer video display is evendramatically improved over the cell phone display.

Neither of the above two approaches, the convenient cell phone and thehigh speed computer network, recognize the value of providing a highspeed Internet connected portal providing access to pari-mutuelwagering, the portal having the capacity to display, via video,pari-mutuel facilities' streaming video feeds, at a location where it isaccessible to the public that does not generally participate inpari-mutuel wagering. The present invention provides a business methodfor increasing participation in pari-mutuel wagering by providingbetting kiosks that are convenient and accessible to the general public,located in restaurants, sports bars and other non-typical, unlicensedand non-gaming locations. The betting kiosks provide the quantity andquality of information available to wagering consumers via a high speedinternet connection 15, providing facility and handicapping informationand video streams of pari-mutuel events, without requiring the wageringconsumers to look for high speed connections for the personal computer.

The betting kiosk 10 comprises an interactive video display monitor 14on which a wagering consumer makes various selections to place a wager.For example, in the event the wagering consumer is making a wager on ahorse race, after logging onto or setting up an advance deposit wageringaccount, the wagering consumer selects the facility (the track) at whichthe event is being held. The wagering consumer then selects the event(race number), the type of wager, (win, place, show, exacta, quinella,trifecta, daily double, pick 3, pick 4, pick 6, etc.,) the amount of thewager and the participant (horse number). The interactive video displayalso gives the wagering consumer the opportunity to view trackconditions, scratches or changes in the race card, morning line odds,current odds, historical data about the horse and jockey and other datagraphically on the video display monitor 14. Once selected, the videodisplay monitor 14 provides streaming video from the selected trackand/or race card/odds information from the track.

The betting kiosk 10 also has speakers 16 providing output of the audiofeed received from the originating facilities. The receipt and output ofthe audio feed at speakers 16 is important in the event the high speedvideo display becomes disabled or sluggish. The audio feed is morereliable and will provide some limited information about the trackconditions, odds, and the race itself even if the video feed falters.

The kiosk 10 further comprises a user input device 18, depicted as akeyboard in the preferred embodiment in FIG. 1 necessary to make thevideo display 14 interactive. It is specifically contemplated, however,that other user input devices, such as a touch screen or mouse may beused without departing from the principles of the present invention. Theuser input device 18 is used, as discussed in more detail herein, toenter confirmation data regarding the user account number and securitydata and then to select the pari-mutuel facility (e.g. a race track whenapplied to horse racing) at which the wager is to be made and to selectthe pari-mutuel event (e.g. the number of the race) and the participant(the number of the horse). Finally, the user input device is employed toenter wager information (type and amount) which is ultimately used totransfer funds from his advance deposit wagering account to thepari-mutuel pools set up at the selected facilities. The betting kiosk10 further comprises a thermal ticket generator 22 which provides thewagering consumer the option of printing out a confirmation receiptafter the wager has been placed at the desired facility.

Finally, the kiosk 10 is equipped with a security pad 24 which must havea user standing thereon for the kiosk 10 to continue to communicateinformation to and from the advance deposit wagering account company.The purpose of the security pad 24 is to prevent the accidental walkingaway from the kiosk 10 by the wagering consumer while still logged ontohis advance deposit wagering account. Unauthorized betting in thewagering consumer's advance deposit wagering account is therebyprevented by including a simple weight sensitive electrical switch inthe security pad as a permissive contact necessary for operation of thekiosk 10.

While FIG. 1 shows the kiosk 10 in a single terminal configuration, FIG.2 reflects another embodiment in which multiple wagering consumers canuse the kiosk at once. That is, if three persons want to place wagerssimultaneously or bet on and watch events from different facilities,each can log onto his own advance deposit wagering account withouthaving to stand in line and wait for the other to finish.

Advance deposit wagering accounts were created to provide a means bywhich wagering consumers could bet on a race even if they were not at apari-mutuel facility or at a licensed gaming facility, allowing them tobet by phone or personal computer from their home, office or otherlocation. Advance deposit wagering accounts are funded by a wageringconsumer so that he can make wagers out of the account, and then theaccount is debited whenever a bet is made and it is credited when thebet is successful.

As shown in FIG. 3, the betting kiosk 10 communicates with the advancedeposit wagering company 30. The wagering consumer inputs identifyingdata (i.e. name, username, password, account number, social securitynumber, etc.) which is then transmitted to the advance deposit wageringcompany on a high speed communication link 31. Once that isaccomplished, the wagering consumer is prompted to select a facility atwhich he wishes to place a bet. After he makes his track selection, thewagering consumer then, using the streaming audio and video and datasent by the facility to the Advance Deposit Wagering Company 30 via highspeed link 37, which is then relayed to the kiosk 10 via high speedcommunication link 39, makes his selections (event, participant, type ofbet and amount) and then the whole data packet is communicated from thewagering consumer to the advance deposit wagering company via high speedline 40 and then to any of multiple facilities 42A, 42B, 42C, 42D viahigh speed lines 44, 46, 48, 50, for example, for inclusion in thefacilities' pari-mutuel pool.

If the bet is successful, the user's advance account is credited withthe appropriate payout according to the pari-mutuel payout.

It is specifically contemplated by the principles of the presentinvention that the kiosk 10 shall be lawfully placed in jurisdictionsthat permit advance deposit wagering accounts. It is also specificallycontemplated they will be placed in restaurants, sports bars, socialclubs and other similar public facilities that do not have a gamblinglicense but which are attended by the general population. A specificobjective is to reach those members of the general public who are nottraditional gamblers or are not able to access the product in anothermanner and to provide them convenient access to participate in the funand exciting world of pari-mutuel wagering. The kiosk 10 provides awagering consumer the ability to not only place wagers on pari-mutuelevents occurring around the world, but also to view, in real time, thevideo and audio results of pari-mutuel events on which they havewagered. The kiosk 10 also acts as a monitor linked to all thepari-mutuel wagering facilities around the world which is accessible tothe general public, whether they have wagered on an event or not.

The principle of the present invention, the business method wherein avideo display or replay of a pari-mutuel event is available, whether awager has been placed or not, will enhance the use of the kiosk becauseit is well known that a significant number of the curious viewers of theevents will become wagerers after being introduced to pari-mutuelwagering. Within the principles of the present invention, the kiosk 10thus provides a diversion for patrons of a bar or restaurant in thatthey will be able to watch horse races (or other pari-mutuel events)even if they have not wagered on them. Eventually, because of thesimplicity of the advance deposit wagering account setup andregistration, a portion of the casual, non-wagering race watchers willbecome wagering users of the kiosk 10. The goal of the business methodof the present invention, to make pari-mutuel wagering more accessibleto and more widely participated in by the general public, is thusachieved by the provision of kiosk 10 allowing wagerers and non-wagerersto view video of races.

The kiosk 10 of the present invention requires only a power connectionand a high speed communication link, and makes pari-mutuel wageringaccessible to the population at large at restaurants, bars,social clubs,retail locations and other establishments without requiring them totransport a laptop computer with application software looking for a highspeed data connection. The kiosk 10 is also clearly advantageous overthe use of telephone based access to advance deposit wagering accountwagering because it provides a reliable and meaningful video display ofthe pari-mutuel event upon which a wager is made. Telephones generallyavailable and in common use are not capable of real time video display,and, even in the event telephone communications are sufficiently fast toreceive real time video, the limited size of the telephone video displayis inadequate to meaningfully view a video stream of a pari-mutuel eventsuch as a horse race. The kiosk 10 of the present invention, with itshigh speed connection and continuous connection to pari-mutuelfacilities through an advance deposit wagering company, including thereal time video feed to pari-mutuel events taking place, solve theproblems and disadvantages associated with the use of telephones,including wireless cell phones. Further, it provides a real time videodisplay of the pari-mutuel event, at the user's selection, withoutrequiring the user to carry around a laptop computer looking for a highspeed connection.

The kiosk 10 of the present invention provides a portal into the worldof pari-mutuel wagering for the general public and non traditionalgambler by providing simple, low maintenance access at convenientlocations. The method of doing business whereby the kiosk 10, is placedin restaurants, bars and other non-gaming establishments, providessimple and convenient access and thereby expands the reach of theparimutuel wagering by reaching an untapped segment of the generalpopulation.

The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention hasbeen presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light ofthe above teachings. The embodiment was chosen and described in order tobest illustrate the principles of the invention and its practicalapplication to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to bestutilize the invention in various embodiments and with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It isintended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claimsappended hereto.

1. A method for allowing a wagering consumer to remotely place apari-mutuel wager on a pari-mutuel event from a location open to thepublic and then viewing said pari-mutuel event wagered upon comprisingthe steps of: providing a betting kiosk having user input capacity andvideo and audio display capacity; providing a high speed dedicatedcommunication link to said betting kiosk; providing secure authorizationmeans for a user to access an advance deposit wagering account;communicating wager information from said betting kiosk to an advancedeposit wagering company; communicating video and audio feeds generatedat said facility to said betting kiosk; providing simple instructions onhow to set up and access an advance deposit wagering account at saidbetting kiosk; and placing said betting kiosk in a lawfully compliantlocation open to the public.
 2. The method as set forth in claim 1further comprising the step of providing a security interlock cutoff sothat when a wagering consumer walks away from said betting kiosk, thetransactions in the wagering consumer's account are terminatedautomatically.
 3. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprisingthe step of communicating daily facility schedule card information fromat least one facility to said betting kiosk.
 4. A betting kiosk for usein any licensed or unlicensed facility comprising: a user input deviceto confirm advance deposit wagering account information; means forselecting the video, audio, data stream from a desired facility; meansfor displaying the video, audio, data stream from a desired facility andmeans for communicating bet information to said desired facility wherebya bet is placed into an appropriate parimutuel pool.
 5. The bettingkiosk set forth in claim 4 further comprising a high speed communicationlink to an advance deposit wagering company.
 6. The betting kiosk as setforth in claim 5 further comprising a security pad positioned adjacentsaid betting kiosk requiring wagering consumer presence thereon in orderto stay logged in to the advance deposit wagering account.
 7. A methodfor conducting the business of wagering on pari-mutuel events comprisingthe steps of: placing a user friendly betting kiosk for receiving wagersin a public place not licensed as a gaming location; establishing acommunications network between said kiosk and a facility's pari-mutuelpool so that wagers at said betting kiosk are included in saidpari-mutuel pool.
 8. The method as set forth in claim 7 wherein saidplacing a user friendly kiosk step further comprises the step of placinga betting kiosk having a video display for providing simple, promptdriven instruction to wagering consumers on how to set up an advancedeposit wagering account and how to place bets after the advance depositwagering account is set up.
 9. The method as set forth in claim 8wherein said placing user friendly betting kiosk step further comprisesplacing a betting kiosk having a video display for providing videodepiction of a pari-mutuel event upon which a wager has been placed ifselected by a wagering consumer.